


Variable

by Catalyst85



Category: Lovecraft Country (TV)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Female-Centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:33:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27413545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catalyst85/pseuds/Catalyst85
Summary: Story opens during 1x09 “Rewind 1921” basement scene where Ruby confronts Christina about being her “plan B”. It starts off canon, and then I have my wicked way and change the show’s timeline. Ruby was interrupted in the show’s ending and I’m hoping to help her self-actualize a bit more in this. This character undoubtedly deserved more than what she ended up with.Plus, I needed more gay shit in my cup, so there’s some of that poured in here, too.
Relationships: Ruby Baptiste/Christina Braithwhite
Comments: 18
Kudos: 102





	1. Chapter 1

Ruby’s energy was tense and coiled as she sat in the dark in the chair beside her alter ego. The white woman who lay in the hospital bed in Christina’s basement was deathly pale, but was being kept alive for reasons that Ruby didn’t have the mental capacity to question at that point in time. She shuffled a deck of cards in her hands with little effort, shaking her head in disappointment because, like the deck of cards, she felt she had been getting played by Christina. She had let that blonde-haired, blue-eyed witch say some magical words to her and somehow her guard had come falling down. She had been given peace by proximity and lived in an estate that she could only dream of entering had she been a maid. Ruby had thought that finally, she was encountering someone who didn’t want anything in return from her. She could finally get what she deserved without fine print.

Without being interrupted.

But when Leti told Ruby that Christina had asked her to spy on Tic, and that she had plans for a spell that would end up killing Tic, all the pieces finally fell into place. She was Christina’s plan B. She was being used again and she could not understand why in the hell she kept attracting the users.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Christina walked down the stairs without ever looking up from a book that was open in her hands. She flicked the switch for the overhead lights and made her way towards her safe. Ruby hesitated to say anything at first, an unconscious respect for Christina’s dedication and concentration on her studies of magic. But the more she thought about all the things Christina said to her, the more wound up she became.

_The first time I laid eyes on you was the first time in a while that I had felt magic where there was none._

_The words may have come out of William’s mouth, but they were mine._

She was ready to lure her into striking range. “Who was she?”

Christina turned around, not startled, but clearly caught off guard. She secured the safe after placing the book inside. “The groundskeeper at my father’s summer estate. Her name was Dell.”

“How did she end up in a coma?” Ruby asked while studying the woman’s pale face, void of the liveliness she had seen when she would look in the mirror after taking Christina’s potion.

“Your sister hit her over the head with a shovel.” Christina walked closer to get a better read on Ruby’s mood. Her tone was unusually flat and guarded. And the fact that she was sitting in the dark prior to Christina coming down was curious behavior. She searched her face as the sunlight from the windows illuminated her features.

Ruby smiled towards the comatose woman’s figure at the mention of her sister’s actions. She managed to ask two questions that Christina answered openly; she wanted to see how many more answers she could get. “Did you only help Diana to get to Atticus?” Ruby cocked her head and pinned Christina with the intensity of her brown eyes. She cut the cards in her hands audibly, a reminder to herself to refuse to be played by any lies or half-truths.

And there it was with that question: hesitation. Christina’s eyes went wide as she took a couple rapid breaths. The mention of Atticus’ name was foreign in their conversations.

“Leti said that you went to her to spy on him,” Ruby concluded.

Christina had sworn to Ruby to tell the truth, but the truth wasn’t always something that sounded good or what was best. Sometimes words muddled things. Christina nodded, silently admitting to going to see Leti, but hating that the line of separation had been crossed.

Ruby stood up and took steps to Christina, feeding her anger by closing their distance. “All that shit you said about seeing magic in me. That was a lie.”

“I never _once_ asked you about Atticus.” Christina was oddly on the defensive. This wasn’t the first time Ruby had questioned her motives when it came to their relationship. Christina would oblige without a second thought when it came to telling Ruby how she felt about her, or anything for that matter. And the more Ruby tried to catch Christina in deception, the more Christina wanted to reveal to her. Christina was helplessly drawn to Ruby. She felt magic in Ruby, even if it wasn’t the kind that she could command. That was one of the reasons she couldn’t stay away; Ruby had magic that was untapped and fiercely untamed.

“I’m not stupid, Christina. My mama was a hustler. I was your plan B.”

Christina had heard enough. Magic had to take place in reality, and Ruby needed a reality check. “You asked for my help today and I came _for_ you!”

The pendulum swung in the opposite direction, and Ruby fell silent. But Christina knew it wouldn’t be for long. “And yes, I saw an opportunity and I took it, but I’m not using you. I’m not your mama or your sister, and if you can’t see the difference--”

“Do you or don’t you have a plan to kill Atticus?”

“I do.”

The truth, although ugly, was exactly what Ruby needed to hear. She exhaled. Her body became visibly less tense, and she broke the deadly eye contact that had Christina nailed to the brick wall. The crack in her armor making her capable of listening.

Christina, seeing the shift in Ruby, allowed her body to lead her closer. “Every step to my ascension has been meticulously planned out. Atticus was going back to Ardham from the moment he first stepped foot there. The only variable was time… and now you.” She studied Ruby’s striking face, close enough now to smell her sweet scent. It had a subtle chocolatey undertone. Whatever skincare product that was, it left her skin luminous and deliciously velvety. “You’re a different kind of magic that I could have never foreseen.”

“So… What happens to variables like me in your scheme of things?”

The smile that broke through Christina’s lips wasn’t stifled quickly enough. “I never imagined you to be a woman who was uncomfortable with saying exactly what she wanted.” Her gaze dropped to the fullness of Ruby’s lips, hungrily waiting to see her mouth form the words.

“I want more magic.”

“Then more magic is what you’ll get.”

+++

Ruby strolled down the street in her sister’s neighborhood. She scratched at the raised skin just below her left collarbone. The branding of invulnerability was still new, and her skin was slightly irritated. Despite the reaction the marking had on her skin, Ruby’s disposition was calm and collected. White people looked at her with unabashed disgust as she walked past, and instead of feeling enraged, she was indifferent. Instead of their opinions on her humanity meaning life or death, it became about their own insecurities and smallness. And how they felt about her as a result of those insecurities was none of her business.

Leti opened the door of her house before Ruby could knock on it. “Well? I was right, wasn’t I?” She looked like she hadn’t slept through the night. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were red.

“Why, yes, dearest sister, I’d _love_ to come in and make myself comfortable,” Ruby said while walking past Leti.

After closing the door behind them, Leti turned towards Ruby and crossed her arms expectantly, not taking another step. “This isn’t a game, Ruby. Time is not on our side.”

“You’re right,” Ruby sighed. “Tic’s blood is needed for Christina’s spell. She plans on killing him.”

“Well, what are you going to do about it?!”

“What am _I_ going to do?”

“Ruby…”

“Listen, I am only here to give fair warning because you’re my sister. But I’m done taking on all the fiascos you get yourself into. Especially when you have a grown ass man at the helm of all this drama.”

“Even if that man is the father of my child?” Leti looked at her sister as if she had ripped out her heart. She knew that Ruby had been more than a safety net to her, she had been an ATM, an alibi, a point of reference. She had been the family that Leti came to depend on. The idea of losing even an ounce of that support made her eyes tear up.

“What you expect me to do here, Leti? Huh?”

“It would mean a lot if you…I would like for you to choose family.”

Ruby immediately felt the heat spread throughout her body. The implication was that she hadn’t chosen family her entire life. As if her mother and little sister hadn’t bled her dry with their selfish ways for as long as she could remember. As if she didn’t willingly bend each time they asked for something, because family was indeed the only generational investment negro people had that couldn’t be redlined. However, family or not, Leti had just pissed her off. “Oh. Says the person who couldn’t make it to mama’s funeral for some non-familial reason.”

“Really? Now?!”

“Yes, always. It never went away, Leti! I’m on the North side shacking up because mama wouldn’t have had a proper burial otherwise. And look at you.” She waved her hands at the huge house. “With a property of your own and extra money that just fell into your lap. With all of this, when did you choose family?”

“The money didn’t come from mama.”

“So, you lied…”

“No. Tic cornered Christina and she admitted to putting the money up. There was something in the house that she wanted access to.”

_I’m not using you._

Christina’s words played in the back of Ruby’s mind, but many other scenarios did as well.

“Are you _sure_ you’re safe? You can always move back in with me. We can figure this all out.” Leti continued to speak although Ruby was shaking her head. “Christina isn’t the only person who has magic. You don’t need her, Ruby. Come home.”

Ruby’s inability to take Leti up on her offer highlighted that there was something more than just magic that she desired. “I’ll help as much as I can, but from afar. I don’t want to get mixed up in no mess.”

Leti sighed, knowing her sister would only move when she made the decision for herself. “Fine. But if you change your mind, we’re all leaving for Ardham tomorrow. You know there’s still plenty of room in Woody.”

Ruby nodded her head. That was the thing about family; there was always room for more.

+++

The second short glass of brown liquor on the rocks was starting to warm Ruby’s blood. She leaned forward, placing both of her elbows on the cool countertop of the kitchen island. The island, strategically placed in the center of the kitchen, was long enough for even Tree to lay on comfortably if he ever felt the inclination. That was the thing about having money, everything was about endless possibilities. No one would think to lay on an island unless the island invited the possibility.

Ruby looked around the kitchen that, with the second glass of liquid courage, she wanted to feel was as much hers as it was Christina’s. There was a round breakfast table in the corner. The refrigerator was fully stocked. No dishes in the sink or drying on a dishrack for that matter. Everything was in its place.

Ruby wondered if she was in her rightful place.

“Having a little party, are you?” Christina stood in the entryway of the kitchen. She took in the bottle of liquor sitting on the island and Ruby’s relaxed disposition. “Hope I’m not interrupting.”

Ruby straightened her posture and poured another drink for herself. “Looks like a seat just opened up for you,” she said just before nodding towards the tall chair that faced her on the other side of the island. She turned to the cabinet to retrieve another short glass and then placed it on the countertop. “Straight up?”

Christina settled into the chair, crossing her legs at the ankles, and nodded in approval. Ruby placed the glass in front of her.

Ruby quickly rubbed the raised skin below her collarbone, although she was invulnerable to physical threats against her wellbeing, she wasn’t invulnerable to the effects of Bourbon. She leaned her body onto the island again for better support. In that moment, Christina caught a quick whiff of charred oak and tobacco from the bourbon, with a sweet finish that was all Ruby.

The aroma triggered Christina’s vivid memory of she and Ruby’s first encounter; when she was William. Ruby was straddling him in her pink sequins dress on the stairs of his townhouse. She had run her hands over William’s bare chest, smoothing over the raised skin of his invulnerability branding without so much as flinching. Her touch ignited every nerve in his body. It was then that Christina, in both forms, became vulnerable to the whims of Ruby.

Christina knew Ruby in a way that excited her. Ruby’s body called out to her—her lips enticed her. There was always an overbearing longing to return to ecstasy. She wanted to return to Ruby’s body as herself. She ached to have Ruby’s body react to her the way that William had made her react. Ruby’s breathlessness, her moans, her screams, her smiles in the midst of passionate fucking all belonged to Christina. She wanted to feel Ruby’s body come undone and shake uncontrollably during the aftershocks of an orgasm. She wanted to look at her warm brown eyes and see them clouded by insatiable desire.

The question was, would Ruby let Christina know her in that way?

Ruby watched Christina intently as she took several sips of her drink. “Hard day?”

Christina licked her lips and kept the glass in her hand. “Nothing that eventually won’t matter in the end.”

While giving a contemplating nod, Ruby said, “Mmhmm. So, were you able to get whatever it was you needed from Leti’s house?”

“Do we really have to go through this again?” Christina downed the rest of her drink, set it down and reached for the bottle to refill it. “What do you want me to say?”

“I want to know why you share so much, but also hold back so much. What’s the big secret if I already know what your end goal is?”

“I don’t want you involved.”

“You think I’d try to hijack the spell for myself?”

“Of course not.”

“You think I’d get hurt? I’m invulnerable now.”

Christina stopped a beat and took her time drinking from her refilled glass.

“What?” Ruby asked while searching Christina’s face.

Christina looked down into her glass; it was a rare occasion that she wouldn’t meet Ruby’s eye contact straight on. “I don’t want you involved because I don’t want to hurt you.” She downed the last of her second glass, gently placed it to the side, and then rested her hands in the counter, all fingers interlocked. She met Ruby’s shocked stare. “I have gone through a lot to get here; family members of mine have been killed. I have a plan to kill the last of my family and that will leave me with no one. I can’t let any of that be in vain… I just want to take every possible precaution.”

Ruby walked around the island. “So, you think it might come down to either me or you spell to become immortal.”

“No.” Christina stood up. “I believe that I don’t have the luxury of caring about my immortality less than anything—anyone else. There was too much put on the line. Winner takes it all, remember?”

One thing that Ruby respected over all else was honesty. She felt secure in knowing this one well-defined boundary of Christina’s. She wasn’t sure of her own boundaries, and that’s why the words came out before she had time to fully think them through. “You’re never going to be left with no one. You have me now.” The glacial blue eyes of Christina’s were reminiscent of William’s. This both excited Ruby and made her feel anxious, like she was exploring something new.

Christina took a step closer and almost went in to kiss the full lips that had her entranced from day one. But she stopped short. She was waiting for Ruby’s permission.

Ruby knew this was dangerous. She was playing with fire, a loaded gun, and ancient magic all at the same time. But she couldn’t help herself. This is what she wanted in this moment, and she wasn’t going to hide from it this time. She slowly closed the distance between the two of them, tilted her head and captured Christina’s lips with her own.

Christina put her hands on either side of Ruby’s face and pulled her in to deepen the kiss. She tasted like the Bourbon they both had earlier and felt like a conduit. Christina’s body was electrified and the heat between them became more intense. She pulled back a bit to look at Ruby. She was so enticing; she was barely able to get the words out. “Have you ever…?”

“No. It’s my first time.”

It wasn’t Christina’s, but she felt like she was in virgin territory. She kissed Ruby again before taking her by the hand, leading her out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

+++


	2. Chapter 2

+++

It wasn’t just the way that Ruby arched her back while Christina’s head was between her legs that had her almost completely come undone. It wasn’t just her fingers threading through Christina’s blonde locks and pulling her closer, silent demanding more pressure. It wasn’t just the breathy moans and shaky gasps which signaled that Ruby was close to an explosive release. It was being able to slide up her body--slick with their passion--and watch as Ruby’s tense body release just when Christina slipped two fingers inside of her and applied the delicious pressure to the spongy area of her g-spot.

Ruby was out of her mind. The way that Christina knew her body felt criminal. She looked into Christina’s blue eyes for as long as she could, but when all feeling in her body rushed to her pleasure epicenter, she gave it up. Her eyes rolled back, and she shouted words that she didn’t immediately recognize as she allowed the sensation of her orgasm to reverberate throughout her entire body. She didn’t realize she was gasping to catch her breath until the ringing in her ears began to subside. As her senses began to reset, she was hit with the sweet fragrance that reminded her of roses and vanilla.

Ruby opened her eyes to see Christina’s face draped by her hair, looking down at her in awe. She felt something tickle her forehead. A few pink blurs floated down to Christina’s light hair. Ruby blinked to get her eyes focused, and then looked up towards the ceiling. Lotus blossoms were manifesting and delicately falling on and around them. Ruby took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled a shaky breath. She hadn’t meant to scream a spell in the Language of Adam, but it didn’t appear that Christina minded.

“Flowers,” Christina said while admiring the blossoms that landed in Ruby’s tightly coiled hair. “Much more appropriate for you now than butterflies, I’d say.” Christina admired that Ruby had taken to the Language of Adam in an almost intuitive way. She was fertile ground for magic to blossom.

Ruby’s body was exhausted from the exertion. She gave a lazy smile in acknowledgement and wrapped her arms around Christina when she leaned in and kissed her and then soon after drifted to sleep.

+++

Ruby tip-toed down the wooden stairs by the glow of the rising moon, bare-footed and in a robe. She padded to the front room. The moon was nearly full, which meant that the autumnal equinox was looming. She had been able to sleep deeply after she and Christina’s passionate sexual encounter, but her subconscious didn’t allow that for long. She had been careful not to wake Christina when she gently rolled out of bed.

She decided to make her way to the front room and sat on the asymmetrical couch. When she turned on the reading light on the side table, she saw the headline on the newspaper that was placed there:

_Mississippi Jury Acquits Emmett Till’s Murderers._

Ruby snatched the paper from the table to get a better look. Typical scene. All white male jury who would never seek justice for the barbaric murder of a Black fourteen-year-old boy, let alone one who allegedly whistled at a white woman. Although it wasn’t shocking, it was unbearably devastating. The feelings of helplessness and despair rushed through her so quickly, it made her breath hitch in her throat. Tears followed soon after.

“Fuckin’ never ends.” She tossed the newspaper to the side

She picked up the receiver of the rotary phone that was also on the table and began to dial. As she heard the line trill, she had thoughts of hanging up before someone answered. But even with the thoughts of retreat, she still clutched the phone to her ear, needing something—someone who would understand.

“Hello?” the voice on the other end answered.

“Hey, did I wake you?”

“No. Not much sleep goin’ on around here these days,” Leti sighed. “Are you okay?”

“I just read about the verdict. I’m just…” Ruby looked up at the ceiling and wiped the silent tears that continued to flow.

“Yeah.”

“This is exactly the shit we need magic for. This is it right here.”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. And then, “You’re right. I’m starting to see that, too.”

Ruby sniffled. “How’s Dee doing?”

“Enraged. About everything and with everybody. She’s not the same. Her world is not the same.”

There was so much that had transpired, Ruby could barely tell whether she was coming or going. One minute she was singing the blues at the bar, the next minute she was going home with a white boy—turned white girl--who introduced her to magic. The magic aspect was liberating; the chemistry between the two of them was undeniable, unavoidable, insuppressible, but also unpredictable. In that time that she was caught in her magical whirlwind, George was taken, Dee was cursed, and Tic was next up to be sacrificed in the name of what exactly? “There’s no way anyone in the world would blame her,” Ruby sighed.

“This world or any other...”

“Say what, now?”

“We did it, Ruby. We went back to Tulsa and got The Book of Names. Dee’s no longer cursed. I saw Tic’s ancestors, they taught me a spell that’s going to change things forever.”

“Wait a minute… If you can save Dee, you can save Tic.”

“That’s not how this spell works.”

“I don’t understand—why wouldn’t—”

“Are you coming with us?”

Ruby shot another glance at the discarded newspaper. Just when she was about to open her mouth to answer, she looked up and caught the curious blue stare of Christina.

When Christina saw the tear-streaked face of Ruby, she was immediately concerned. The phone to her ear had her curious. The headline of the newspaper thrown across the couch started to put things into perspective.

“I don’t see that changing anytime soon,” Ruby attempted to speak in code. “Things are never going to change. But I think I depressed you enough, I’m gonna let you go.” Before Leti could ask her what she was talking about, Ruby hung up the phone.

Ruby wiped her face and looked up at Christina who hadn’t moved. “Couldn’t sleep either?”

“For two different reasons I’m sure,” Christina said while nodding towards the paper.

“Yeah. I was calling to check up on Dee; he was her best friend.”

Christina was quiet again and Ruby grew a little nervous. She hadn’t noticed Christina right away and wasn’t certain of how much of her conversation she had heard. Ruby stood up to release the nervous energy under the guise of transitioning out of the room.

“Are you going to be okay?” Christina asked softly.

“Oh, you care now?”

“I’ve never _not_ cared about you.”

“I see. You care about how I’m affected, but not about what affects me.”

Christina was taken aback. They had just experienced and explored the most vulnerable parts of each other. No one had their guards up. Any part of Ruby that Christina wanted to explore or taste, Ruby obliged and vice versa. Now, Ruby appeared hurt but unwilling to go past the superficial. The 180 would have confused Christina if she hadn’t of had the experience on the dock. When she paid those men to beat, shoot, tie a cotton gin fan around her neck with barbed wire and then throw her into the water to drown, she experienced true fear, despite having the magic to save herself. Those men were reluctant but did so because everyone has a price. The men who did the same to fourteen-year-old Emmett held no hesitation. They felt driven and now, it was proven yet again that society identified with the same drive. Although Christina didn’t relate to the rage and hurt, she now had a different understanding of it.

“I can’t always say the right things, Ruby.”

Ruby couldn’t understand why she wasn’t prepared for that answer. It was the truth, and one thing Christina did without fail was tell Ruby the truth. “I know,” she sighed. “Lets just head back to bed.”

The way that Christina kept her eyes on Ruby made her feel warm all over. Her body responded by moving in closer for an open-mouth kiss in which Christina answered in turn. Ruby broke the kiss so she could rest her forehead against Christina’s. “What time do you have to leave tomorrow?” Ruby asked.

“Early.” Christina bulled back to hold Ruby’s face in her hands. “Will you… will you still be here?”

“I will. Just promise me you won’t hurt my sister.”

“I Promise.”

The conviction in her tone and her propensity for honesty was enough for Ruby to believe her whole-heartedly.

+++

The sun was shining brightly that morning. Ruby walked down the street, not fully sure what she was going to contribute nor inhibit other than the protection of the two opposing women who owned unique pieces of her heart. When Christina left that morning, she had such conviction in her eyes, she barely spoke. It was a big day for her. It was a big day for everyone, and Ruby didn’t want to just sit back and not have a role.

She turned the corner and saw everyone loading up in Woody.

She wasn’t too late.

“Leti,” she called out to her sister.

Leti turned her attention from the car. She walked up to Ruby with wide and hopeful eyes. “You’re coming?”

With a swift nod, Ruby answered, “I am.”

The hug that Leti gave her sister nearly pushed her backwards. She was thankful and hopeful and didn’t let go. She exhaled when Ruby returned the strong embrace.

“You came up for air long enough to ride along with us, huh?” Montrose called from the passenger seat. “You sure of who’s side you’re on?”

“My sister’s. So, let’s make sure that personal space is respected on this trip.”

Montrose mumbled some words under his breath and looked forward. “You ready, boy? Daylight ain’t loyal.”

Atticus gave a quick nod towards Ruby and walked to the passenger back seat to open the door for her to slide into.

“Christina left early this morning…” she said after taking her seat.

“Doesn’t matter,” Tic said. “As long as we have everything in place before the witching hour.” He closed Ruby’s door. After he hopped into the passenger seat, he did a quick scan of everyone in the car. “This is it.”

Ruby rubbed Dee’s shoulder lovingly and nodded at Ji-Ah who gave a demure smile.

The magical showdown was ahead of them, with Ruby placing herself in the middle of the battle. She silently hoped that she could have a perfect ending, but she was prepared for whatever reality had in store.

+++


End file.
